Infinite Blue
by Immelmann
Summary: It's been nine months since the end of the war that plagued Prester for so long. But now, a new evil is rising, and Claus is called upon again to protect the world and people that he loves. CH2 UP! Please R&R!
1. Old Friends and New Enemies

Disclaimer: I don't own Last Exile or any of the characters, they are all owned by GONZO.  However, the original characters in this series are mine.

_Author's Notes:           SPOILER WARNING DON'T READ IF YOU HAVENT FINISHED THE SERIES_

_Anyways, I changed the ending of the last episode to better suit a follow-up fanfic, it is alluded to in the story.  I wanted to make this as much in the spirit of the original anime as possible, so I used a mix of action/drama/romance/etc. (although I'm nowhere near as good as blending these elements as the original writers).  I also used the Geneon names for as much as possible, for the sake of continuity, but if you see an odd name slipped in that looks like a character you know, its probably just a translation difference.  Please note that this fanfic changes perspectives, if something is confusing you, please get in touch with me, I'd be more than happy to clarify (it's definitely my fault anyway).  First fanfic…please R&R.  Feel free to email me at macbethxhotmail.com to ask/comment on anything; it'd be appreciated!_

Rated PG-13 – Mainly for violence (in this chapter).

**-------------------------**

**Chapter 1: Old Friends and New Enemies**

Lavie stood over Claus's sleeping body, preparing herself for another battle to wake the sleepyhead that he was.  It was already getting later in the morning, and if Claus didn't wake up quick, he ran the risk of missing breakfast.  Lavie sincerely hoped that wouldn't happen; Claus was always cranky when he missed his breakfast, even though it was his own fault.

"Lavie, hurry up and wake up Claus! Breakfast is getting cold!" Al's voice called from the kitchen below.

Hastily, Lavie pulled out her trusty mallet and metal sheet, and began to bang the mallet against the sheet.  The ensuing clanks and crashes had little effect on Claus, however, which didn't surprise Lavie at all.  The vanship pilot merely turned over and groaned groggily.  "Get up sleepyhead! You're going to miss breakfast; you wouldn't want that now would you?" Lavie inquired to the half-asleep young man on the floor.

"Aww, you wouldn't let me miss breakfast Lavie, would you?" Claus retorted sleepily.

"You bet I would! So get up and get down to the kitchen, Al has your breakfast ready," Lavie answered wryly.  Reluctantly, the ace pilot rose slowly from his bed, wiping the remnants of sleep from his eyes.  He stretched his arms out and straightened out his clothes, slowly making his way towards the door.  "Now that's better, can't have you sleeping until lunch now can we?" Lavie remarked to herself before exiting the room herself and descending the stairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, Lavie saw Claus and Al sitting around the modest table that the two orphans used for dining.  Al had just finished preparing plates for the three of them, with generous helpings of everything that she and Lavie had prepared earlier.  "Oh, thank you Al.  I'm completely famished!" Lavie told Al with a smile.

"Oh, it's my pleasure Lavie!  I thought I would go ahead and set up the meal since you were dealing with sleepyhead over there, right?" Al said with a laugh.  Claus groaned at the jab and began to eat his meal.

Lavie giggled in return, "Of course, that was good thinking Al."  Turning to Claus, Lavie joked with a smile, "See what you've made Al go do? Now she had to set up the meal for us just because you like your sleep so much."

Claus seemed a little embarrassed about that fact and apologized by saying, "Oh, I'm sorry Al; I didn't mean to make you do any extra work." 

"Oh, it's no problem, I'm used to it by now," Alvis said with a joking smile on her face.  All three laughed and sat down to their meal; going back and forth about everyday things.  In truth, it had been 9 months since the Exile had left Prester; carrying a group of brave individuals who wanted to see what the new world the Exile promised was like.  Claus and Lavie, however, had decided not to go to the new world.  Prester was where their families had lived; it was the world they fought to save, and there was no way that they would leave it.  Much of the population of Prester felt the same, only a small percentage decided to risk the journey to the blue star onboard the Exile.

"We're going to have to fly quickly today Claus, we're running behind and Mullin is expecting us soon," Lavie said. 

Prester itself had become peaceful since the end of the war and the destruction of the Guild; the weather was much less extreme than before the Exile had left, and people generally seemed to embrace each other more openly.  There were exceptions, however.  Survivors from the Guild received a mixed reaction from the general public.  Some saw them for what they now were: lost individuals with no place left to go to and no one to turn to, and opened their arms to them.  But others could not get past the atrocities that the Guild had done to Prester, and treated the survivors as the scum of the world.  Claus and Lavie didn't find it difficult to accept the old Guild members, as most of them more closely resembled Dio and Luciora than Maestro Delphine, personality-wise.  Most of the technology from the Guild was destroyed in the attack by the Allied forces of Disith and Anatoray, but the surviving ships, including the Sylvana, still existed.  However, they now had a life as more of ceremonial ships used for Imperial parades and such rather than as machines of war.

"Don't worry, we always make it on time, right?" Claus countered with a joking smile.

"True…but we still should finish up eating soon; we don't want to upset Douna and Mullin," Lavie said.

"Aww, don't worry about Mullin, he's accustomed to waiting after all. He had to wait years just to find a girl that liked him!" Claus said laughing.

"I guess you're right!" Lavie answered, roaring with laughter.  Secretly, Lavie winced at that remark.  The last nine months had been the best time of her life, spending the peaceful days with Claus and Alvis in their modest home, but part of her wanted something more.  The truth was, she loved Claus and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But no matter how hard she tried, Lavie couldn't figure out whether Claus felt the same way about her.  Sometimes it seemed like he did, but other times he was distant, as if he was thinking deeply about something.  Lavie wanted very much to openly state her feelings to Claus, but she didn't have the courage.  She wouldn't risk their lifelong friendship on a gamble that Claus loved her back.  And then there was Tatiana, to make matters worse.  She still kept in contact as the top ranking official courier to Empress Sophia, but the group rarely saw each other face to face.

Shaking all of the thoughts out of her head, Lavie finished her meal and started, "We should probably get going now, even if Mullin can wait, I'm sure Douna and Morris would worry if we were late."

"Yeah, you're right, let's get going. Are you ready Al?" Claus replied.

"Uh-huh!" Alvis responded with a nod.

Together, the three of them walked towards the vanship that they had flown across the Grand Stream.  Claus and Lavie still flew their vanship daily, if for nothing else than to enjoy the blue skies and the wind through their hair.  They still raced for fun, in fact, they had won all of races that they had entered in since the war had ended, earning themselves the nickname of "The Silver Aces."  With Claus piloted and Lavie in the navi seat, the two prepared for flight as they had so many times before.

"Throttle off, check! Verify check, clear!" Claus communicated to his most trusted navi.

"We're ready to go, activate the engine!" Lavie replied.

"Engine activated…cut the air!" Claus yelled to Lavie after a moment.  Lavie did so and got in the navi's seat with Alvis in her lap, Claus would have to give the vanship a pushing start on his own, as he always did when the two took Alvis aboard.  After a small amount of pushing, Claus seated himself in the front of the vanship.  Lavie instinctively increased the engine output for takeoff, and soon the group was flying into a sea of blue sky above Norkia.

#######

Decio saw the four flashes from the next battleship over, the _Winges_, and motioned for his unit to get in position.  A group of about fifty shadowy figures approached the entrances to the Anatoray battleship in front of them, the crown jewel of the operation, the _Urbanus_.  The repaired _Urbanus_ was even more magnificent than the old version.  Although it was only used as the Empress's official transport now, it was still armed to the teeth with powerful weaponry, which was all Decio was interested in.  He saw the four paltry guards stationed at the main cargo entrance and signaled his group to get ready to dispatch them.  Faint shadows, nearly invisible to the eye, danced in the dim moonlight as the Guild exiles prepared to begin their assault on the ship.

A small hand signal from Decio, unbeknownst to the guards, was all that the group needed to begin their stealthy strike.  One Guild member for each guard commenced a lightning quick dance of bloody death, moving far too fast for the guards to react in time.  Using their blades, the Guild members effortlessly dispatched the guards with quick slices to their throats.  Blood ran down the cargo ramp and pooled at the bottom as Decio boarded the craft.  He didn't expect more than thirty people onboard the ship, since during docking periods only a minimal crew was needed, as there were no longer any wars that the ship would be needed for.  Decio felt no remorse for the fallen guards; they were just as guilty as the rest of the world that claimed to live in peace and harmony yet contradicted their own beliefs.

Quietly, Decio's group boarded the _Urbanus_ and split up into four different groups, one for each major area of the ship: the hangar and cargo hold, the engine room, the bridge, and the weapons gallery.  Decio, as leader of the group, went with five of his most trusted lieutenants to the bridge.  They traveled lightly and silently through the corridors of the _Urbanus_, with only their Guild robes and blades to protect them.  Decio stopped the team suddenly with a hand signal, and put his back against the wall of the passageway just before a four-way intersection.  With a peek around a corner, Decio saw two guards conversing with each other about twenty meters down the cross-hallway.  Decio signaled his group to stay put; he wanted these two for himself.  With two knives at the ready, Decio quickly executed a flawless display of violent grace.  The only thing the guards had time to do was let out small yelps of shock before each one had inches of steel buried into their throats.  After wiping the bloody knives off on the fallen guard's uniforms, Decio returned to his group and continued towards the bridge.

Several minutes later, the group reached the door to the bridge of the _Urbanus_, the very control center of the massive capital ship.  Carefully listening, Decio discerned that there was likely no one on the bridge, especially at the odd hour and relative disuse of the massive chip.  However, he decided to err on the side of caution despite being relatively sure of himself.  He was too close to his objective to fail now.  Slowly, he opened the door into the bridge as quietly as was possible, signaling to his group to have weapons at the ready.  With the door fully open, Decio's group entered the bridge of the _Urbanus_, only to find it completely devoid of any Anatoray personnel.

"Well, here it is, the most powerful ship in the Anatoray Navy: the _Urbanus_.  And now, it's all ours.  Soon the world will feel what we have for the past nine months; and quake at their sins!" Decio erupted in a low voice filled with anger and hatred, but also determination.  "There's only one thing left to take care of, and I'll deal with him personally," Decio said with anticipation as he left the bridge.  The rest of Decio's crew stayed behind to meet the other members of the assault when they came to the bridge to report.

Decio left the bridge and ascended a flight of stairs to arrive at his objective, the Captain's Quarters.  Knowing that the captain was inside, since the captain rarely left his ship even at nights and during maintenance, Decio forcefully opened the door with his shoulder and came face-to-face with the captain of the capital ship.  Decio was surprised; this was not the man he was looking for. He was expecting Vince, the war hero of Anatoray.  Instead, Decio was greeted by a lowly captain, probably just promoted to fill Vince's position as captain while Vince pursued more worthwhile avenues.

"Who the hell are you?!" the captain of the _Urbanus _said, obviously shocked at the uninvited guest.  Decio himself was relatively unassuming, for a Guild survivor.  He was in his mid twenties, still relatively lanky, with white hair that ran down to his shoulders.  By far his most distinguishing feature was his skill with a blade, however.  Nobody could match Decio's prowess with a short blade or knife, especially not this lowly captain.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Decio responded in a cold voice.

"I'm Ricen Polax! The captain of this majestic ship, and if you don't tell me who you are and why you're here right now, I'll have you arrested…" Captain Ricen's voice trailed off as he noticed the blade clutched in Decio's right hand.

"I don't care who you are, you'll die the same as any other worm that tries to oppose me. You're all the same, act polite towards us in public, scorn us and starve us in private," Decio replied with a growing anger in his voice.

"Now wait…you don't want to do this! I have a family, a daughter! Please don't take me away from them; I'm begging you," Ricen pleaded to the robed man.

"I had a family too, it didn't matter!!" Decio ferociously replied as he jammed the blade into the captain's chest.  Letting out a grunt of disgust, Decio turned and left the captain's quarters; he would have his revenge soon.

#######

Claus disembarked the vanship as it settled down in front of Mullin's farmhouse. "I hope we're on time, I didn't think we would need to stop for fuel," Claus commented with a slightly worried look on his face.  Lavie and Al also got off of the vanship and joined Claus at his side.

"I think so Claus. After all, you have me as a navi, so we definitely got here the fastest route possible!" Lavie said back to Claus teasingly.  As the group was walking towards the house, three figures appeared in the doorway: Douna, Mullin, and their young adopted son, Morris.

"Hi, everybody! Welcome back to our humble abode!" Mullin called from the entrance to their house.  The home itself was rather humble, although Mullin often boasted about all the work he had done on it (it rarely ever materialized).  However, that wasn't the main draw of this property.  The real reason Mullin bought this property was that surrounding the main house was a beautiful farm of many varieties of grains and vegetables, which he and his family worked very hard on.  Claus noticed the plants were growing well and were nearing their harvest time; farming had become much more popular after the Exile left and the weather changed to more hospitable conditions.

Claus waved to the family and increased his pace to reach them faster.  Upon reaching the front porch of the house, hugs and welcomes were exchanged by all members.  "Uncle Claus! Uncle Claus! Are you gonna take me up in your vanship this time??  You promised me you would when I was bigger!  Mommy and Daddy said I look taller than I did last time you were here, please take me up!" Morris, Mullin's adopted son, gushed out as he rushed out of the house to greet the visitors.

Claus blushed slightly and reached for the back of his neck, as he often did when he was embarrassed.  "Well, that's up to your parents," Claus replied with a smile and laugh.  The young boy was growing though, there was no doubt.  The nine year old boy now had a couple of inches to add to his height since the last time Claus saw him, about two months ago.  It had been about six months since Douna and Mullin adopted the boy from an orphanage in Norkia.  He now had his brown hair cut in a replica of Mullin's, as well, and his bright blue eyes were slightly dimmer now.  "I think you're big enough now though," added Claus, which caused the boy to erupt into a frenzy of excitement.  In fact he was only slightly shorter than Al when she first rode in Claus's vanship.

"It's okay with me, but we should eat first, you must be starving after that flight," Douna answered with a motherly voice.  "I started preparing a big meal, but it's not quite ready yet, so can you please wait for me to finish?" the mother asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, of course! Allow me to help out, I love making food," Lavie replied enthusiastically with a big smile on her round face.

"I'll help too!" Morris and Al chimed in simultaneously.

"I couldn't impose, really, thank you though," Douna answered.

"It's no problem, don't worry about it!" Lavie countered and began towards the kitchen.  The rest of the cooking crew followed, leaving Mullin and Claus on the porch.

"You know, Morris has been asking me when you would be back ever since you left. He wants to be a vanship pilot, just like you!" Mullin told Claus with a chuckle.

Claus blushed again at the comment, "He certainly was excited to see us today."  Claus always found it embarrassing how the boy idolized him.

Just then, an exclamation of pain came from the kitchen in Lavie's voice, "Ow, stupid stove! I didn't think it was that hot yet!"  An uproar of laughter proceeded from the kitchen and the porch.

"She's definitely one of a kind, eh?" Mullin commented to his company.

"Yeah, that's for sure."

"She's in love with you, you know that, right?" Mullin stated, as if it meant nothing. Claus was visibly startled at the frankness of his friend's comment, and was unable to come up with any response.  "I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you, there's no doubt," the ex-rifleman added.  In reality, Claus knew what Mullin was saying was true, but something inside of him kept him from talking to Lavie about it.  "You need to talk with her, even if it's only to tell her that you can't return those same feelings.  Despite how much something like that would hurt her, waiting for you to do something is taking a heavy toll on her too," continued Mullin.  Claus knew this was true as well, he could read Lavie better than anybody else.

"Lavie…" was all an exasperated Claus could manage in reply to the older man's comments. He just wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment yet, and he wasn't sure what he felt for Lavie.  Part of him returned her feelings, but another part still saw the childhood friend that he had relied upon all of his life.

"Hey, what's that?" Mullin inquired while pointing out a small red speck in the sky.

"That looks like, Tatiana's vanship?!" Claus replied with unhidden surprise in his voice.  Putting his head through the doorway to the house, Claus called, "Lavie, everyone, come look! It looks like Tatiana is coming!"  The four chefs came out onto the porch as the vanship prepared to land.  It was definitely Tatiana; there was no doubting the red paintjob and Imperial insignias on it.  Tatiana's ship landed gracefully next to Claus and Lavie's, and indeed, Tatiana and Alister jumped out of the ship and waved to the crowd.

"It's good to see everyone together again, it's been a while," Tatiana said as she approached all of her old friends.

"Sorry, if this is a little sudden, but we have delivery to make.  You two got awfully lucky that we remembered sometimes you were here instead of your home in Norkia." Alister announced.  Indeed, in Tatiana's outstretched hand was a golden commission tube.

"It's for you Claus, it's from Sophia.  She requests that you take on this commission tube," Tatiana said.

"For me? From Sophia?" Claus repeated, with a great deal of confusion.  He had only gotten to speak to Sophia in the weeks after the destruction of the Guild briefly; she did occasionally send letters, though.  However, the last one from her came just four days prior to this one, which was very odd.  Sophia usually only sent letters every three or four weeks, despite always saying that she wished she could write more often.  Claus looked at the tube more closely; the seal was the official Anatoray Imperial Seal, something that Sophia didn't use in her personal letters to Claus and Lavie.  Something else caught Claus's eye though; the tube had eight stars on it.  "_Eight stars?!_" Claus exclaimed.

"Eight?!" Lavie echoed with a hint of fear and shock in her voice.  Claus opened the tube; inside was a letter addressed to him from Sophia.

_Claus,_

_I know this is sudden, but I need you to come to the capital immediately._

_There have been developments recently that endanger all of Prester._

_Bring Alvis, please.  You shouldn't be in any immediate danger._

_I will give you all of the details upon your arrival, I'm sorry I can't be more forthcoming yet._

_Sophia_

"Let me read it," Lavie said, now visibly shaken by the sudden news.  "No…this can't be happening; not again," Lavie said, holding back her emotion with as much effort as possible.  Seeing the tension, the rest of the crowd left Claus and Lavie in privacy.

"I have to go Lavie, please, stay here with Mullin and Douna.  Al can be the navi on the way to the capital, there's no need for you to come if you don't want to," Claus said to Lavie.  Secretly, he would enjoy her company on whatever they were about to get into, but he wouldn't risk his best friend getting hurt again.

"Are you crazy!? Of _course_ I'm going! Who's going to take care of you if I don't come anyway?" Lavie replied emphatically, obviously having already made up her mind.  Claus could see the look of fear and despair on her face though, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up.

"Lavie…please, I don't want you getting hurt," Claus reasoned as he futilely attempted to change Lavie's mind.

"Claus, I don't want to hear it. I'd rather be near you and be in danger than be far away and safe," Lavie said softly, then quickly added, "Now come on, we need to eat before we go! There's plenty for Tatiana and Alister too."  With that, Lavie went back into the house before Claus had a chance to give any sort of reply.

The meal was certainly as big as Lavie made it out to be, there was plenty for everybody, and seconds were even available.  Conversation centered around the letter at first, with Claus and Lavie explaining the contents and what needed to be done.  Soon enough though, the tone became much lighter as Tatiana and Alister told stories of what they had been doing the last two months.  Lavie had a removed look throughout the entire meal though, and Claus knew exactly why.  Mullin's words weighed heavily on him at that moment, but Claus still wasn't sure of his feelings, especially after seeing Tatiana again.

"Well, the meal was wonderful Douna, thank you.  I think we should get going though; we have a pretty long flight ahead of us and we want to make it before evening," Claus concluded.

"Aww, no! You said you would take me for a ride this time Uncle Claus!" young Morris pouted.

"I know, but I'll make it up to you next time, I promise.  I'll even take you for an Immelman Turn, how's that?" Claus said with a sympathetic smile.  Morris's eyes lit up at the prospect of being on a vanship during a stunt like that.

"Really??" Morris asked for confirmation.  Claus nodded his head as he got up from the table. The rest of the group did the same, Douna and Mullin had slightly concerned looks on their faces.

"Please take care of yourselves, and come back soon," Douna said in her caretaking tone.

Mullin pushed Claus to the side and whispered to Claus, "Take care of Lavie, and remember what I told you, ok?"

"I will, I promise," Claus replied a little nervously.

"Are you all ready to go?" Tatiana asked to the travelers, to which she got a simultaneous affirmative response. "Okay then, let's head out!" she added as she and Alister boarded the red vanship.

"Well, it looks like we might be setting off into another adventure huh?" Claus said as their vanship was prepped for takeoff.  Lavie and Alvis nodded their heads, but none of the three seemed particularly excited at the prospect.  As the vanship took off, Claus could see Mullin and his family waving to them and shouting calls of "Good luck!" and "Take care!"  Secretly, Claus wished he and Lavie could live like that, with no real worries on their minds, but it never seemed to work that way.  Claus sincerely hoped that this was all a false alarm, but he knew that something was definitely wrong for Sophia to send an eight star letter to him.  He didn't even want to think about what could have happened.

**-------------------------**

_Note: Well, there you have it. It ran a lot lengthier than I had anticipated; I can only hope I'm not getting in over my head ;  Please, R&R, this is my first outing as a fanfic writer, so the feedback would be greatly appreciated.  I'm hoping I can get chapters up on at LEAST a bi-weekly basis (although this could be easily shortened depending on my work schedule/how well planned I have everything in the next chapter.)  Please e-mail me if you have any questions or need any clarification on anything; I'd be more than happy to help. Thanks for reading! _


	2. Into the Sky

Disclaimer: I don't own Last Exile or any of its characters.  The original creations, however, are mine.

_Author's notes:  Thanks for all the positive feedback on the first chapter; I hope you enjoy this one as much!_

**-------------------------**

**Chapter 2: Into the Sky**

Claus never felt better than when he was flying a vanship through the clear skies above Anatoray, but this time was different.  This time, he wasn't piloting for fun or enjoyment; he was piloting because he had to.  The skies no longer looked as free and open as they did when you were flying for fun, Claus thought.  It was a beautiful day though; the sunlight glistened on the metallic exterior of the vanship, and the warmth made the cool air running through Claus's hair welcome.  He, Lavie, and Alvis rode in silence for the entire trip; only speaking to communicate piloting information.  The last time they had ridden like this was in the aftermath of the battle with the Guild, when they went to the funerals of so many friends that they had lost.  Each passenger was thinking about what had happened and why Sophia had been in such a hurry to summon them to her personally.  Claus didn't like the situation at all, but he had no choice but to come as asked.

"Claus, we should be coming up on the capital.  We can probably land at the palace," Lavie said to her pilot.

"I would think so; I'm just going to follow Tatiana," Claus replied.

"Oh, right…" Lavie replied, slightly dejected at the mention of Tatiana.  Indeed, the red vanship in front of them landed directly at the palace's private docking area.  Claus followed and executed a flawless landing, as always, despite being in no particular hurry.  He wanted to see Sophia again, but not like this.  Memories of the kiss they shared on the _Sylvana_ echoed through his head.  He still didn't understand why she had kissed him; she had no romantic interest in Claus, and he certainly didn't have any in her.  He wished he could ask her, but he was too afraid to bring it up and wrote it off as a spur of the moment incident.

"Hello, Claus? Are you ready to go?" Lavie asked while waving her arms in front of him.

"Huh?" Claus fumbled for a reply as he realized that he had been lost in thought for close to a minute in front of his vanship.  "Yeah…sorry.  I was just thinking is all," Claus managed to get out.

"About what?" Lavie continued inquisitively.

"It's nothing, we should go," Claus answered quickly; Lavie would kill him if she ever found out.  The three met up with Tatiana and Alister at the edge of the circular landing area, near the gate to the palace itself.

"Her Highness will meet you all in her private chambers," Tatiana announced.  She sounded decidedly more formal to Claus than the last time they had met, but she still retained that air of pride about her that she was so well known for.

"Why do I have to come, Miss Tatiana?" Alvis asked politely, although with a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea," the ace pilot replied.  "Sophia sprang this on me and Alis just as quickly as it was sprung on you.  All I know is what you know, but it has to be important; that's for sure," she continued.  Alvis sighed in response as the three made their way down the massive hallways of the Anatoray Imperial Palace.  It had been a huge job to repair the palace after all of the damage done when Sophia's father, the Emperor, was assassinated.  Amazingly though, commoners and noblemen alike came together in the time after the armistice to rebuild not just the palace, but the entire city in its former glory.  Although some of the palace was still under construction, the areas that led to Sophia's chambers were strikingly beautiful.  Incredibly high arched ceilings, plush vermillion carpets, and sculptures greeted the eye in every direction.

As the group turned a corner into a smaller hallway, a pair of uniformed armed guards greeted them with a salute and a greeting to Tatiana.  Soon after, Tatiana and Alister stopped in front of a pair of ornate double doors.  "This is it; remember that even though we all know Sophia well, she is the Empress.  Please be polite," Tatiana instructed everyone.  The three outsiders nodded nervously, it had been a long time since they had last seen Sophia in person.  Tatiana knocked on the door and called to the inside, "Lady Sophia, Claus, Alvis and Lavie are here at your request.  Are you ready to meet them?"

"Yes, of course, bring them in please Tatiana," a voice from inside replied.  With that, Tatiana swung open the double doors and allowed the rest of the group to proceed in ahead of her.  Inside, Claus surprisingly noted that Sophia was not alone.  Sitting in a chair to her left was Vince, the captain of the _Urbanus_ during the war with the Guild, in full military attire.  Sophia herself was also dressed rather formally, with her hair down and a beautiful amber dress on.  She looked slightly different from the last time Claus had seen her though, but he couldn't quite discern what the difference was.

"Your Highness," Tatiana and Alister said simultaneously with a bow.  Quickly, Lavie and Claus mimicked the two Imperial couriers, although with considerably less grace.  Alvis merely looked at it all quizzically; she didn't care about any formalities, she merely saw Sophia as someone who had cared for her in the past.

"Claus, Lavie, Alvis; it's so good to see you all again.  Please though, there's no need for formalities in here, just Sophia is fine. We're all friends here," the older woman said with a laugh.  Claus blushed slightly at the comment, much to the confusion of those who noticed.

"Your Highness—I mean Sophia," Claus began, before being cut off by the Empress.

"The note, right? I wish we had more time to talk; I hate to meet under these circumstances for the first time in months.  Tatiana, Alister, please stay.  I'd like you two to hear what I have to say as well," Sophia said as she noticed the two couriers begin to move for the door.  "This would probably be easier for Vince to explain, please listen to him carefully," she finished with a nod to the captain at her left.

"I too hate to see you all again under these conditions, but that can't be helped anymore.  I'm just going to be frank about this; you all know something is wrong, so there's no point in beating around the bush.  Two nights ago more than half of the Anatoray Navy's fleet was hijacked by a group of well organized survivors from the Guild," Vince started.

"What?! That's impossible though! I thought all the ships were kept under tight security, right?" Lavie blurted out, prompting Claus to mutter her name under his breath.

Vince let out a resigned sigh before continuing, "They used to be, but ever since the end of the Guild security has been loosening gradually.  Nobody ever predicted that someone would want to start a war again, after this world has been through so much recently.  Add that to the fact that the guards and personnel on the ships take their jobs far too lightly in these times of peace, and you have a recipe for disaster.  As I was saying though, about sixty percent of the Anatoray fleet has been taken under Guild control, which is six capital ships and about fifty assorted destroyers and small battleships.  Among them is the revamped _Urbanus_."  He grimaced at the last bit of shared information before continuing, "I can see on your face that you're wondering what exactly any of this has to do with you, right?"  Claus and Lavie nodded at the inquiry.

"I know that this is a serious situation, but what do you want us to do about it?  We don't fight anymore; we're just simple vanship pilots!  If you needed pilots to fight for you, then why ask us?" Lavie said angrily.  Lavie's expression went from anger to worry, as a theory formulated itself in her mind.  "Wait, something else is going on isn't it?  There's more to this than you're telling us, that's why you asked us all here," she deduced.

"Yes, you're right Lavie.  It would be best if you just read it yourself," Sophia spoke in response as she pulled out a letter from her dress.  "We received this yesterday, from a badly wounded pair of vanship couriers on one of the captured ships," she added. 

Claus took the letter from Sophia's hand and read it aloud, "It reads, 'Empress, as you no doubt have heard, more than half of your precious fleet is now under my control.  I'll get straight to the point, unless you adhere to the following demands, one city will be attacked and destroyed every other day starting one week from today.  First, relinquish the throne and proclaim that the Guild is once again in power over Anatoray, and advise the Disith leadership to also instate the Guild as it's ruler.  Next, hand over the following people for committing crimes leading to the destruction of the guild…'" Claus's voice trailed off as he read the names to himself silently, unable to believe what was written.  "It's all of our names, every one of us in this room, along with most of the other crew of the _Sylvana_," Claus said quietly.

"You didn't finish," Vince replied dryly.

Knocked out of his state of shock, Claus continued reading, "'Lastly, personally hand over Alvis Hamilton to myself on the _Urbanus_.  I expect all of these demands to be met within a week, or we will take back this world by force.' It's signed Maestro Decio Adrensen."  The entire group, with the exceptions of Sophia and Vince, stood in shock at the note.

"What do they want from me, I thought all the bad guys were gone now," Alvis asked innocently.

"I'm not sure, but we won't let them take you Alvis, I promise," Sophia answered with a compassionate tone.

"_Maestro?!_  How is that possible?  We did away with the Guild didn't we?  Isn't the fighting supposed to be over?" Lavie asked, sounding more than a little hysterical as tears began to form in her eyes.

"We obviously aren't going to meet their demands, so what's the plan?" Tatiana asked, entering the conversation sounding as emotionless as ever.

"We're going back to the _Sylvana_; all of us, together," Sophia stated frankly.  "I am already prepared to leave unexpectedly, and there are news reporters that I have told to spread false rumors that I have abdicated to certain known Guild informants.  I've also sent out messages to all of the people on the list of demands to rendezvous at Horizon Cave, where the _Sylvana _is being kept.  We'll act as if the _Sylvana_ is meant to hand over all of the people on the list, but in secret it'll be bait in an ambush.  The specific details are still being worked out, but that's the general plan.  After all, the _Sylvana_ is the safest place on the world, right?  It also happens to be the only ship that's capable of standing up to the _Urbanus_," Sophia finished with a hint of a smile.

"It sounds good, and it looks like we'll have plenty of time to catch up with each other too," Tatiana replied, shooting a glance at Claus with the last comment.  Tatiana didn't seem fazed by the news at all, she wore the same expression as she always did, not showing any emotion.

Lavie still stood staring at the ground, desperately trying to hold back tears.  "D-Does this mean we'll have to fight again?" she asked hesitantly, on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"I'm sorry, Lavie.  I wish I could say no, but I can't," Sophia responded gently.  Upon hearing her answer, Lavie immediately ran out of the room, her tears landing softly on the plush carpeting of Sophia's private chambers.  Claus chased after her, leaving Alvis and the rest of his friends in Sophia's room, knowing how devastating the news was to her.  He wished that he could keep her out of all of this as he followed Lavie down the halls of the palace, but he was powerless.  They both had been caught up in something greater than them, for the second time in their short lives.  After several minutes, Lavie finally ducked into a small side hallway, where Claus came upon her crying into her arms as she leaned against the wall.

Silently, Claus put his arms around his friend and held her head to his shoulder as she cried.  Softly, he spoke, "Lavie, I'm sorry. You're always getting caught up in things because of me and my decisions.  But I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always be by your side, no matter what.  We'll get through this just like we've gotten through everything else that life has thrown in our way, I promise.  We'll get through it because we're together, okay?"

Every once in a while, Claus said something so profoundly sensitive and compassionate that Lavie was at a loss for words; this was one of those times.  Lavie looked up into Claus's cerulean eyes, her own eyes still glistening from her tears.  "Claus…thank you," was the only thing Lavie could manage to say.  She wished she could say so much more to him, but she could tell that he wasn't ready to hear that yet.  Instead, she stayed in his arms for a while longer, wishing that that moment would last forever.  She always felt better when she was near Claus; he had a way of comforting her that no one else could match.  However, unbeknownst to the two, Tatiana had noticed them together from the end of the hallway.  Her emotions a mix of jealously, anger, and sadness, she held back her own tears and quickly continued walking to her quarters.  She harbored her own feelings for Claus, and there was no way that she was going to give up on him.

"We should get back Lavie; we need to know what's going to happen next," Claus finally said.  Lavie broke away and nodded to him, looking as strong and sure of herself as ever.  Together they retraced the path back to Sophia's chambers, and were let in without a question asked.  Inside, Claus was surprised to find Sophia dressed not as the Empress, but as the Captain of the _Sylvana _in her full uniform.  She was wearing her glasses with her hair up, just as she had while she was masquerading as Alex Row's second in command.

"Oh, you're back already?" she said as the two entered the room.  "Alister took Alvis with her to get ready for the trip to Horizon Cave.  I suggest you do the same; all of our facilities are open to you. We're leaving in two hours, there will be two cargo ships and several vanship escorts to ensure a safe trip, although I don't think that this Decio character will make a move yet.  You may want to outfit your vanship with a machine gun before we go though, any of the mechanics would be happy to help," Sophia informed the duo.  Lavie's eyes widened a bit at the mention of putting weapons on their vanship, but she kept her emotions under control.

"Thank you, Miss Sophia, for helping us and Alvis again," Claus said politely.

"Don't thank me, Vince is the mastermind behind this plot, I just hope it all goes according to plan," she said back humbly.  The two pilots turned and began to leave, but Sophia stopped them short of the exit.  "I feel like I have to apologize, this is more than partially my fault," she suddenly said, with genuine sympathy in her voice.

"It's not your fault Miss Sophia, we're all guilty of being a little complacent in these times," Claus said back, giving Sophia a comforting smile.  She smiled back and nodded, then returned to preparing herself for the journey ahead.  Claus and Lavie exited the room, and headed for the landing area where their vanship was.  Upon their arrival, they saw Alister and Alvis already at the dock, ready to depart.  Seeing Claus walking towards them, Alvis ran up to meet him, with Alis following close behind.

"Claus! You should see all of the amazing things here; Alis was showing me around before we came here," Alvis excitedly said.

"Really? You'll have to tell me all about it later," Claus said back, kneeling to be at eye level with the younger girl.  "Where's Tatiana?" Claus asked Alis, looking up at her from his position.

"I'm not sure, but she said she was going to her room to get ready.  It's been a while though; it isn't like we have many things to get ready.  She better hurry though, we're scheduled to leave pretty soon now.  It's unlike her to be late, especially for something this important," Alister answered, showing a bit of concern over her best friend.  As the two were talking, a palace mechanic approached them, with a questioning look on his face.

"Are you Claus Valca?" he asked, to which Claus nodded.  "I heard that you might want to have your vanship armed, for safety purposes.  We're ready to do it quickly if you want; it doesn't take long to complete the procedure," he notified the pilots.  Lavie looked sick at the mere notion of arming their father's vanship, which they had worked so hard to repair.

"Thanks, but I think we'll be okay.  If we need an armed vanship we can just use one of the ships on the _Sylvana_ when we get there," Claus replied graciously to the mechanic.

"Are you sure? What if you happen to get attacked on the way to the _Sylvana_?" the mechanic asked, puzzled at Claus's response.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll be fine, but thanks anyway," Claus said again.  The mechanic merely shrugged and walked off to get to work on other projects.  As the mechanic walked away, Tatiana entered the landing area, carrying large traveling bags in each of her hands.  Claus, being the polite guy he always was, rushed up to Tatiana to carry the bags for her.

"Oh, thank you Claus.  Sorry it's so much, but I decided I would pack some extra pilots uniforms for you and Lavie, since I didn't remember you having anything with you when you came.  I have some old dresses that Alvis can wear too if necessary," Tatiana said, showing thoughtfulness that one rarely sees from her.

"Wow…thanks Tatiana, but you really didn't have to do all that just for us," Claus said, a bit embarrassed.  He was slightly stunned that Tatiana would do something so generous for all of them, but she was right, they hadn't come with anything except themselves.  Lavie and Alvis echoed Claus's thanks, also slightly shocked.  Alis looked thoroughly confused by this act of generosity by her friend, but she seemed happy about it.  Claus loaded the bags onto the cargo ship, and the group spent the next half hour mainly making preparations to their vanships for the journey ahead.  Tatiana and Alister mainly worked on covering the Imperial insignias on their vanship, as the mechanics had done on the cargo ships.  Secrecy would be important in the journey to Horizon Cave; nobody could know that the Empress was leaving the Capital. About ten minutes before the scheduled departure time, Sophia herself entered the landing area, with a regiment of non-uniformed guards and Vince at her side.

"Is everyone here already?  We can depart now if everybody is ready, if you wish," Sophia told the assembled group.

"Yes, I think we're ready to go now, Your Highness," Alister replied for the group.  The rest of the crew nodded in agreement.

"Okay, let's head out then, and please don't call me Your Highness.  Remember, I'm supposed to have abdicated, right?" Sophia said with a joking smile.  She and the guards accompanying her started to board one of the unmarked cargo ships, but Claus stopped her with a question.

"Miss Sophia, can Alvis ride with you?  Just in case something happens?" he asked as she was entering the ship.

She looked back and with a nod said, "Of course, that's an excellent idea.  I don't think it will be necessary, but it's certainly a good precaution."

"Claus, I want to stay with you and Lavie though," the girl at Claus's side insisted, grabbing Claus's arm.

"Don't worry Al; it'll only be for a little while.  It's just safer this way; we'll see you as soon as we get to Horizon Cave and the _Sylvana_," Claus assured the somewhat frightened little girl.

"Okay…you promised though, as soon as we get to Horizon Cave," Al said as she ran over to Sophia's side and entered the cargo ship.

"Well then, let's head out," Tatiana told the remaining pilots.  Claus and Lavie headed to their vanship and boarded it, waiting for the cargo ships to take off as their cue to follow.

After a few minutes, the cargo ships began their ascent into the skies, and Claus shouted back to his navi over the noise, "Are you ready?"

Lavie shouted back, "I'm always ready!"  With that, the two prepared for takeoff on the palace's private runway.  After receiving some help from palace personnel, the two were soon flying next to the cargo ships and on their way to Horizon Cave.  Tatiana and Alister's red unmarked vanship was close behind them, as were five other unmarked vanships to escort the precious cargo.  The skies seemed grayer than when they had arrived at the capital, Claus thought.  There were only a few hours of daylight left, but there was plenty of time to make it to Horizon Cave with only light, fast ships to make the journey. Soon enough, they were out of sight of the Imperial capital and over relatively uninhabited land.  It was a relaxing journey for the most part, with the sun large in the horizon; painting the lands in beautiful orange tones.

"Claus, look to the right, do you see anything?" Lavie suddenly asked.  Claus focused in on four silver specks in the distance, too far to identify exactly what they were.

"Yeah, I think so; I can't tell what they are though.  It's probably nothing; don't worry about it," Claus replied optimistically.

"Claus…I think they're coming this way!" Lavie suddenly said.  Indeed, the shapes were heading straight for the convoy at a very high rate of speed.  They were soon close enough so that Claus could tell exactly what they were: four star shaped Guild fighters.

**-------------------------**

_A/N: Whew, that was considerably harder to write than the first chapter.  Sorry about the mostly expository nature of this chapter, I promise there will be more action in the next chapters, which will hopefully be up faster than this one.  Please R&R, thanks for reading!_


End file.
